1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus of a camera, for recording information of letters, etc., on a photosensitive film of a photo or the like, particularly for recording a copyright of a photographer.
2. Related Background Art
An apparatus, called a databack, for optically recording information related to photographing on a film has hitherto been available on the commercial basis. This apparatus optically records desired alphanumeric characters internally and externally of photographing frames on the film through LEDs (light emitting diodes) or the like. A photographing time and date are automatically recorded in addition to a subject image by the databack, and, hence, this is convenient for a rearrangement to be made afterward.
The information related to photographing given above generally includes time/date data on a photographing date, month and year, f-number data, shutter'speed data and a photographing film frame number. These items of information are divergently employed ranging from some record of a memorial photo to scientific photography.
There are two ways of timing when the above-mentioned information is recorded.
A first method is to record the information in synchronism with a photographing timing. Set data are recorded through 7-segment LEDs in the midst of action to depress a shutter button, i.e., an exposure or during a rewinding action of the film. This method exhibits such a merit that a shot of picture and a data record can be recorded substantially simultaneously.
A second method is to record the information with the rewinding action of the film on which the photography has been completed. The data set in relation to respective photographing frames are stored in a predetermined storage device. When rewound, the data are read and recorded by use of vertically-arranged 7-dot LEDs while being made corresponding to frame numbers. This method has such a merit that the inexpensive 7-dot LEDs are usable because of utilizing the fact that a film feeding speed is substantially fixed when rewound.
On the other hand, a professional camera man is always aware of a copyright for the picture taken by himself or herself. For claiming that the picture is a peculiar work of photographer's own, an indication of the copyright, the photographing date, month and year and his or her name are invariably written on the back of print paper. It is thereby possible to specify the photographer, make a claim as to where the copyright belongs to and further receive a protection thereof. Thus, an unauthorized copy, etc., by others can be forbidden.
Inventors of the present invention have already invented a method of automatically recording an indication of the copyright on a photographed film by combining the two elements described above in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-318631. Stored on the film are optical records of a set of a mark indicating an existence of the copyright, year number and a person's name other than the typical calendar data on the date, month and year.